Changes to minicab laws raise serious concerns for public safety, Bradford Council warns

The Deregulation Act, which came into effect last Thursday, mean private hire firms can subcontract work to drivers anywhere else in the country.

Council bosses have raised concerns that customers calling Bradford firms could be sent cabs from other authorities with less rigorous standards.

Now to try to tackle the problem, Bradford Council has agreed to work with West Yorkshire's other four authorities to set minimum driver and cab standards across the whole county.

Councillor Val Slater, deputy leader of the Labour-led council, said currently when she rang for a cab and they didn't have a car available, they would tell her so.

She said: "Under these new rules, rather than telling me they haven't got any taxis, they can ring up another firm and subcontract the work.

"But it doesn't have to be a taxi firm in Bradford. They could subcontract it anywhere.

"When they turn up, I don't know it's a totally different firm and I wouldn't be confident they are meeting the standards we have got in Bradford."

Leeds City Council bosses have echoed these concerns.

Councillor Mary Harland, chairman of Leeds' licensing committee, said she was "very concerned about the implications of the new act, and the risk it poses to the travelling public".

She said: "Our drivers must take part in training in safeguarding, English comprehension, customer care and private hire law, whereas standards expected in other areas of the country may not meet our own."

The five West Yorkshire councils - Bradford, Leeds, Kirklees, Calderdale and Wakefield - now plan to agree on common minimum standards.

Some of the proposals they are considering are:

- Training on safeguarding against child sexual exploitation and human trafficking;

- Setting common minimum English language standards;

- Adopting a common convictions policy;

- Introducing a similar recognisable door livery for all vehicles licensed in West Yorkshire; and

- Giving each authority's enforcement officers the power to spot-check any West Yorkshire cab.

The idea has had a mixed reception from cabbies' groups.

Nadeem Ahmed, of the Independent Private Hire Association of Bradford, said: "I'm a bit dubious about this. I think it's unnecessary, personally. I think it's possible there may be some political motives."

But Stuart Hastings, of the Keighley Private Hire Association, backed the idea, saying: "If you had standards throughout, then there's no argument, is there?"

A Department for Transport spokesman said: "Public safety is our first priority and we are absolutely clear that strict criteria must be applied by all local authorities when granting taxi licences. This includes criminal record checks.

"Operators can only subcontract services to licensed drivers under the new rules. They also must keep records of all journeys booked through them, even if the journey falls under a different local authority area.

"The changes to taxis and private hire vehicle regulations will allow operators to run a flexible service that is more convenient for customers, but safety must still be paramount."